Dr. Green (Trial #1348)

The rain, sprinkling onto my face, was what eventually woke me up. As soon as I started to come to, I knew something was off. My body had never felt so light, and I could feel I was running hot. Upon opening my eyes, I was greeted by a huge shining sun, and cool rain misting everything around me. The sky was blue, speckled with off white clouds, bordered by a vibrant array of palm tree tops, swaying in the gentle wind. My eyes burned against the newfound light, and I felt a wave of dizziness, propping myself up on my elbows in the glittering sand.

A lump formed in my throat as I recalled my last memory, walking home late at night from the convenience store, holding a plastic bag full of popsicles for my younger sisters. I'd just returned home from college for summer. They'd been so excited they cooked me my favorite dinner. I felt as though I could still taste it... Some of the chicken had been overdone, and burned at the edges, but I enjoyed it all the same.

And then that man, the one I'd locked eyes with on the sidewalk while returning home, I recalled his striking green eyes and the out-of-body feeling his stare brought on. After that, nothing. I strained to remember more, but this only resulted in a sharp pain inside my skull.

My head felt like it was underwater as I tried to think of any sort of explanation for all this, staring out at the crystal clear blue waters that surrounded me, the waves lapping the shoreline like a thirsty dog. I sucked in a deep breath and gathered the strength to stand, my legs threatening to buckle underneath me. I wondered how long I had been lying there asleep. Perhaps this was all just a dream. I reached up and felt my forehead, shocked at how warm I really was. It wouldn't be all that far off to assume I'd gotten home, fallen ill, and this was some kind of hallucination. Though, as I tried to convince myself it was all fiction, I struggled to really believe that. The warm sand on my feet, the rain on my skin, the vibrancy of all the colors around me... could all of these sensations be my subconscious?

I looked down at my clothes, a pair of linen shorts and a white t-shirt, probably two sizes too big for me. I'd never seen the articles in my life, and wondered if this was real life where my clothes had gone and who had given me these? I thought of the man with the green eyes... surely he didn't have anything to do with this, right?

Overhead I heard the call of a bird I couldn't place, and watched as their winged shadows shot across the sky, making my eyes squint at the brightness once more. This was quickly followed by the sound of a voice.

"Hey!" It shouted, coupled with the sound of feet padding through the sand. I turned and watched as another boy about my age started toward me, wearing a similar uniform. He was blonde, and had big blue eyes, as well as a higher voice than mine. This surprised me a bit, especially because he was taller than me, and seemed slightly more fit. There was something about him that I couldn't quite describe. As the sun cascaded over his ivory skin... he glittered. I'd heard people use this as an expression before--someone "glowing"--but the boy really glowed. I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

As he came closer I felt an almost sick feeling wash over me, flowing all the way from my toes up to my head. Suddenly I was lightheaded again and found myself doubled over as he finally reached me, immediately concerned.

"Hey, are you okay?" The boy asked, his cheeks and nose highlighted with sunburn. I looked up at him as he spoke, meeting his eye as he laid his hand on my shoulder. My stomach felt like it was being turned inside out within me, causing me to clutch at my torso in pain. I cried out, groaning as I collapsed onto the sand. His hand found it's way under my neck, cradling my head. I felt my fever deepen at his touch, and opened my mouth, my tongue completely dry. A thirst unlike any other I had ever felt blurred my vision.

"Shit," the blonde boy mumbled, noticing my anguish, fishing around in his shorts pocket for a small circular canteen. He brought it out and immediately handed it over to me, telling me to drink. I tried to protest, worried he might be trying to drug me or that he had ulterior motives of some kind, but he insisted and held the canteen to my lips. Cool, clean water poured down my throat and I drank like it was my first sip in a decade. The boy, still holding me steady, glittered in my view as I drank with his aid. I felt my heart flutter, and was startled by the feeling, tipping the canteen away and sitting up once more.

"Better?" the blonde asked, trying to smile and failing. It was at that moment I realized he and I were in the same boat, and also, that there might be others.

"Yes, thank you," I nodded, feeling refreshed.

"What's your name?" the boy asked me, leaning forward where he sat beside me on the beach. My eyes dipped without my permission to his exposed chest, peeking out from his half undone button-up shirt.

"Do you know how you got here?" I countered, to which the boy shook his head, almost embarrassed by his own answer. I thought about telling him a fake name, but for some reason felt as though I could trust him.

"Peter," I said then, running a hand back through my brown hair, as I tried to seem friendly, "That's my name. What's yours?"

"James," he said softly, once again meeting my gaze. I couldn't hold it for long before I felt thirsty all over again, reaching for the canteen between us on the sand. I took a swig of the water and gasped at how refreshing it tasted, sighing as I screwed the cap back on.

"Sorry I didn't find you sooner," James went on, digging his toes into the sand as he sat, gazing out at the water, "Took me three days to learn the layout of the place."

I looked back up at the boy with furrowed brows, "You've been here three days?"

"I think so," James went on, "I woke up three days ago, at least."

I chewed on this information, assuming that meant I'd been there the same amount of time. But why? What was the point of all of this? And why did I feel so odd... like someone had taken another person's brain and planted it in my head.

"Did you see the man with the green eyes before you got here?" I blurted out, desperate for some semblance of sense. James seemed to think really hard about this, but come up with nothing, his face discouraged.

"I can't remember anything," he admitted, his eyes growing wet all of the sudden, "I don't know why I'm here..."

I was taken aback by his show of emotion, watching silently as he cried. I'd never been one to be extremely empathetic, but watching his tears fall down onto the sand made my heart feel like it might shrivel up. I edged closer to James and took him into a hug, which he easily accepted though the entry was a bit awkward. As he brought me in close I winced, feeling as though our bodies pressed together were like two strong magnets. If I didn't pull away, I feared I may never let go. So, I did, puzzled by the instinctual pull I felt to be close with him. Maybe survival instincts? I couldn't be sure.

"We'll figure something out," I said half-heartedly, completely absorbed in my confusion about all of these new, sharp emotions within me.

"Will you stay with me?" James asked then, eyes still glistening with tears. I thought idly that I'd never seen someone so beautiful. I couldn't recall a time I'd ever had such a thought about another boy, but I couldn't argue the validity of my statement. I knew it was true.

"Sure," I offered, which caused James to once again pull me into him, his arms wrapped tightly around my neck in our embrace. I noticed then his scent, strong and soft all at once. He obviously didn't smell like cologne or detergent, his clothes sandy and dirty, his hair obviously unwashed. Still, he smelled so enticing to me, like salt and grass and sun. With my head pulled into the crook of his neck I couldn't help myself, I breathed in a long, deep breath. As his scent surrounded me I felt my body completely tense and then relax. Before I could think my lips were on the side of his neck.

He jumped at the feeling, and I did too, completely shocked by my own actions. My body had moved without any thought, I was acting completely instinctually.

"Sorry," I muttered, a blush rising in my cheeks as I tried to reign myself in. But I'd mistaken James's shock for disgust, and was surprised when he answered me by pulling his lips against mine. When our mouths connected my entire vision went red, my whole body engulfed with pleasure, tingling head to toe with desire. He kissed me gently, but I quickly sharpened the gesture, tasting the boy's tongue against mine. Salty, a bit fruity. Maybe he'd found berries somewhere. I didn't care. I wasn't hungry for anything but him.

In one swift movement, I straddled the boy on the sand, our lips breaking apart for only a moment before reconnecting. His hands were everywhere, on my chest, in my hair. I felt electric, a sensation I found dizzyingly addictive. I'd never felt anything quite like it. I tore his shirt open, trailing my lips, wet and blistered, from his chin, across his adam's apple, down his chest and then over his belly button. His skin, salty too, made my lips feel on fire. The closer I got to the edge of his navy linen shorts, the more the thirst rose in my throat, forcing me forward. I could hear him, panting, making soft noises of approval as I had my way. I couldn't stop myself, not even as I thought I should. My body had a mind of it's own, tonguing parts of the boy I'd not once lusted for before that day. And his voice, breaking with each revelation, only made my need to be within him that much stronger.

By the time I had gotten my fill I felt as though I had run three consecutive marathons, and knew with 100% certainty I would like to do it again. I laid beside the boy on the beach as the sun began to set, his clothes lying underneath his body, his bare figure silhouetted against the sun as he slept on his side. The waves had calmed, and the sound of birds cawing and leaves rattling was distant. I found myself completely focused on the sound of his breathing, his chest rising and falling as he slept. His name kept repeating in my head. James. James. James. James. I couldn't sleep because of it. I feared if I closed my eyes I might forget what he looked like, or something bad might happen to him in my absence. I felt ridiculous having such thoughts, but my feelings felt so real and so strong. I loved him, suddenly, and with a clarity I had never experienced in my entire life. The idea of being with him forever was consuming me completely, along with replaying images of our love-making, causing me to feel constantly feverish.

I couldn't deny how odd I felt, or how out of character I was acting. I'd never felt any interest in another boy before that day, and was certainly not the type to jump straight to love. But my concern didn't peak until the next day, when I finally woke up after having fallen asleep for a few hours. When I turned over, rolling in the sand, the sky covered with clouds and a thick humidity in the air, I noticed James was gone. Immediately I stood and started looking for him. The fear, like a rock in my stomach, that something had happened to him made tears form in my eyes before I could stop them. I hadn't been the type to cry so quickly before... another indicator to me that something was very wrong. It's so deeply frustrating, knowing something is wrong but not quite what it is. Had I only stayed away that morning...

On my search for the boy I left no stone unturned, making sure to check around every corner and behind every tree. I was obsessive, possessed by the need to locate him. It took me only an hour to find him, standing over a pond below a waterfall, cleaning water for our canteen. As soon as I saw him I felt it, the same thirst and hunger I had the day before, perhaps even more rich than it previously had been.

"Hey," I said, walking up to the boy, both of us in only our linen shorts. James turned and looked at me with a gentle eye, smiling. My heart burned in my chest seeing his face again, and I brought him in for a hug without thinking.

"You found me," James said, holding me against him. He rested his cheek against my shoulder as we embraced, the sound of the waterfall roaring over the side of the ledge filling in the silence. I felt more uneasy than ever, almost completely separate from my body for a moment.

"I love you," I said, nuzzling my face into the boy's neck. He giggled softly, squeezing my torso against his chest. I repeated those three words, over and over again as I kissed the side of his neck just the way I had the day before. My entire head filled with thick smoke as my lips met his skin again, my mouth flooding with saliva, my eyes glazed over. I heard James grumble with pleasure, and came in even closer, my lips moving over the boy's skin with ease.

It wasn't until I realized James was screaming, the way a dying animal might, that I came out of my trance. I stumbled backwards as the boy backed away from me, a significant chunk having been taken out of his neck. His hands tried to cup the wound, blood pouring out of him all over his glittering chest. I registered my own chewing too late, as I swallowed the hunk of meat I'd taken and savored the flavor. My mind screamed in opposition to what my body was doing, but I inched closer to the boy with sharp eyes, his bright red blood all over my mouth. I couldn't hold myself back.

"Stop, please," James pleaded, his voice gurgling as he himself spit up blood, his tears flowing freely. I couldn't hold myself back any longer and lunged at him, causing him to trip over his own foot and hit his head on the stone ground, blood pouring from his skull as well as his neck. I could see he was fading fast, and swooped in when I saw my chance. As I laid over him, chewing off pieces of his lean skin, I felt tears roll down my face as well. But, still, I couldn't get myself to stop. I sat over top of the boy picking his bones clean for hours, chewing him carefully, lapping up his blood. When all was said and done, I was completely coated in crimson, the shame and disgust sharp in my mind but nowhere to be found in my physical body. I'd never felt so satisfied, and so conflicted...

I sat staring at his carcass for a while too, my heart still beating quickly, as If he'd kissed me, as If I were in love. It was then that I really cried, sobbing into my hands as I understood the weight of what I'd done. Something evil had blossomed within me, and it was too strong for me to beat. I wasn't Peter anymore... I was something much more animalistic. A beast posing as a human, using love to justify hunger. I fell asleep in that same spot, lying next to James's body. I had no right to want any comfort, but I thought that at least when I woke, I knew he'd still be there with me...

---

Lab Notes

July 12th, 2008

Specimen #387 (Trial #1348)

Drug Project ID: Love at First Sight

Reacted quite quickly to the drug, immediately becoming affectionate with #1265. His affections soured faster than the others, and he seemed more aware of his out-of-character actions. His partner was eaten in less than 24 hours after they met. The dose was changed from 1000 mg (Specimen #386) to 2000 mg. This speeded up the process, but caused for much more severe side effects--i.e. extreme hunger and thirst, elevated heart rate, fever, and aggressive behavior. Aggressive behavior, as always, being much more prevalent in male testers than female testers. This is the 14th time a test has resulted in cannibalism. #387 will be executed on July 13th, 2008 as his testing is now complete. The island should be ready for another set of testers on July 14th, 2008. Be sure to reset all of the cameras, and make sure the microphones across the island are functioning properly. The next testers should be chipped before their arrival, and both be given the same 2000 mg dosage.

Signed,

William Green, PHD